Fountain brush



FOUNTAIN BRUSH Virgil L. Clem, Santa Ana, and Milton H. Nordyke, Riverside, Calif.

Application July 11,1952, Serial No. 298,250

2 Claims. (Cl. 15-128) This invention relates to a fountain brush.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a more efiicient and more easily usable fountain brush involving a more efficient, more easily operable, and more reliable fluid dispensing valve assembly.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will beapparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific embodiment -of the invention isset forth in detail.

Figure l is an enlarged verticallongitudinal section taken through the brush of the device; v

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a further enlarged transverse vertical section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;:and

Figure 4- .is a similarly enlarged perspective view of the valve assembly of the illustrated brush.

The brush 11, as shown in detail in Figures 1 to 3, preferably comprises an elongated block of vertically elongated cross section, composed of a handle section 40 and a bristle section 41, the sections being separably connected together by suitable means, such as screws 42 threaded through the handle section 40 into the bristle section 41.

The handle section 40 is provided with a longitudinal bore 43 opening at one end through an end of the section 40 and accommodating the hose 12, the other end of the bore 43 opening into the adjacent side of a segmental chamber 44 of L-shaped cross section. The arc-uate upper vertical portion 45 of the chamber 44 opens through the top 36 of the section 4%) While the horizontal portion 47 of the chamber 44 extends crosswise of the section 40 and is spaced from the opposite sides of the section 40. The chamber 44 further includes a longitudinally elongated rectangular lower portion 48 which opens at its lower end through the section 40 and opens at its upper end into the horizontal portion 47 of the chamber 46.

The lower portion 48 of chamber 44 registers with the open upper end of a vertically elongated rectangular chamber 49 formed in the bristle section 41 and opening at its upper and lower ends through the top 50 and bottom 51, respectively, of the bristle section. Brush bristles 52 are secured in suitable manner to the bottom 51 of the section 41. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the chambers 44 and 49 are preferably located near and spaced from the end 53 of the brush 11 remote from that entered by the hose 12, and the hose bore 43 is located near and along one side of the section 40 so that the hose 12 within the section 46 leads directly to the valve assembly 55 which is located at the same side of the brush H.

The valve assembly 55 comprises a rectangular valve body or block 56, preferably of brass, which has a vertically elongated, relatively fiat cross section, and fits the chamber 49 of the bristle section 41 and the lower portion 48 of the handle section chamber 44 and pro- '-ects upwardly into the horizontal portion 47 of the handle section chamber 44.

nited States Patent ice The valve body 56 is formed in the upper part of the end 57 with a short longitudinal bore or passage 58 receiving the hose 12 and communicating at its inward end with the upper end of a relatively small diameter bore or duct 59 which runs parallel with the end 57 of the body 56 and opens at its lower end through the bottom 66 of the body 56. The surface of the bottom 60 is polished to provide a valve seat.

At a point between the duct '59 and the end 61 of the valve body 56 the valve body is formed with a rectangular vertically elongated notch 62 whose bottom 63 is preferably at the mid height of the body 56 and whose upper end opens through the top 64 of the valve body 56. A journal bore 65, paralleling the ends '57 and 61 of the body 56, open-s at one and through the notch bottom 63 and at its other end through the bottom 60 of the body 56.

A valve shaft 66 is journalled in the'bore 65 and has an elongated rotary valve plate 67 fixed at one end and at right angles to the lower end of the shaft 55 for rotary sliding engagement with the polished "bottom 66 of the body 56 to close and open the lower end of the duct 59. The valve shaft 66 has an upper part rising above the notch bottom 63 and formed at its upper end with a preferably cylindrical fixed head 68 formed with a diametrical bore 69. Surrounding the upper part of the shaft 66 is a helical valve-closing spring 70 having its upper end suitably fixed to the head 68 and having a finger 76 on its lower end removably engaged in a hole 71 provided in the notch bottom 63. These parts are so arranged that the valve plate 67 is normally yieldably positioned or biased to extend longitudinally of the body 56 across the lower end of the duct 59. The spring '70 is compressed between the head 68 and the notch bottom 63 so that the valve plate 67 is maintained in frictional and sliding engagement with the polished bottom 60 of the valve body 56. Because of this arrangement, repeated operation of the valve plate 67 from closed to open position and from open to closed position improves the seating of the valve plate 67 relative to the valve body bottom or valve seat 66, so that the non-leaking character of the valve is enhanced by use.

Extending through the bore 69 of the valve shaft head 63 is a reduced terminal 72 on the free end of the horizontal radial arm 73 of the valve operating lever 74. The lever arm 73 extends laterally beyond one side of the body 56. A cotter pin or the like 72 is passed through an opening in the terminal '72 to hold it in place in the head 68. As shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, the head 68 and the operating lever arm 73 are located in the lower horizontal portion 47 of the brush block handle section chamber 44. The operating lever 74 further includes a vertical arm 75 rising from the radially outward end of the arm 73 and extending upwardly through the arcuate vertical portion 4 5 of the chamber 44, the vertical lever arm 75 having an upper end 76 reaching above the top of the section 40 to a position accessible for manual operation.

The valve closing spring 74 is rotationally stressed to positively return the valve plate 67 to closed position from open position, and the valve plate 67 is stopped in its closed position and the valve operating lever arm 73 is stopped in a position at right angles to the body 56 by the engagement of a stop pin 77 with the side of the body 56 beyond which the lever arm 73 extends. The stop pin '77 is fixed to and projects laterally from the lever arm 73 at a point near the head at the side of the arm 73 remote from the duct 59.

Pressure having been established in the tank cleaning fluid will be present under pressure in the hose 12, the passage 58, and the duct 59, with the valve plate 67 in closed position. Whenever it is desired to dispense a controlled amount of cleaning fluid to the brush bristles 52, the operator pushes orpulls upon the upper end 76 of the operating lever 74 so as to move the lever 74 in a counter-clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2, thereby moving the valve plate 67 out of closing relation to the lower end of duct 59 and permitting cleaning fluid to flow therefrom onto the bristles 52. The valve closes itself upon release of the lever 74.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fountain brush, a block having a top and a bottom, bristles on said bottom, a chamber in said block opening through said top and said bottom, a valve assembly in said chamber, said valve assembly comprising a body having a bottom surface flush with said block bottom, a vertical duct extending through said body having a lower end portion opening through said bottom surface, a vertical journal bore at one side of said duct extending through said body having a lower end opening through said bottom surface in laterally spaced relation to said duct, a vertical rotary valve shaft journaled in said journal bore, said shaft having an upper end and a lower end, a valve plate on and extending laterally from one side only of the lower end of said shaft and normally closing said lower end of the duct, a head on the upper end of the shaft, a helical spring surrounding said shaft and compressed between said head and a portion of said body and holding said valve plate in rotary sliding engagement with said bottom surface of the valve assembly body, said spring having opposite ends secured to said head and a portion of said body whereby said valve plate is yiel-dably held in closing relation to the lower end of the duct, and a valve operating lever comprising a radial arm fixed to said head for rotating the valve plate out of duct closing position against the resistance of said spring.

2. In a fountain brush, a block having a top and a bottom, bristles on said bottom, a chamber in said block opening through said top and said bottom, a valve assembly in said chamber, said valve assembly comprising a body having a bottom surface flush with said block bottom, a vertical duct extending through said body having a vertical end portion opening through said bottom surface, a vertical journal here at one side of said duet extending through said body having a lower end opening through said bottom surface in laterally spaced relation to said duct, a rotary valve shaft journaled in said journal bore, said shaft having an upper end and a lower end, a valve plate on and extending laterally from one side only of the lower end of said shaft and normally closing said lower end of the duct, a head on the upper end of the shaft, a helical spring surrounding said shaft and compressed between said head and a portion of said body and holding said valve plate in rotary sliding engagement with said bottom surface of the valve assembly body, said spring having opposite ends secured to said head and a portion of said body whereby said valve plate is yieldably held in closing relation to the lower end of the duct, and a valve operating lever comprising a radial arm fixed to said head for rotating the valve plate out of duct closing position against the resistance of said spring, said chamber having an intermediate portion in which said radial arm is located.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 219,324 Sunderlin Sept. 2, 1879 278,086 Bradford May 22, 1883 302,083 Arper July 15, 1884 634,527 Koons et al. Oct. 10, 1899 745,406 La Bonte Dec. 1, 1903 1,032,549 Kane July 16, 1912 1,506,305 Kelly Aug. 26, 1924 1,544,803 Burnett July 7, 1925 1,716,980 Sacks June 11, 1929 1,849,322 Weller Mar. 15, 1932 2,310,006 Wisner Feb. 2, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 785,570 France May 20, 1935 

